Opinion: John Kerry should not undermine American foreign policy

by Boris Epshteyn, Chief Political Analyst

Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (Photo: U.S. Department of State)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Boris Epshteyn formerly served as a Senior Advisor to the Trump Campaign and served in the White House as Special Assistant to The President and Assistant Communications Director for Surrogate Operations.

Who is trying to undercut his efforts? Former Secretary of State John Kerry, according to a recent report by the Boston Globe.

The Globe's story is saying that Kerry, a private citizen, is engaging in shadowy diplomacy to try to save the failed nuclear deal he helped engineer. Kerry has reportedly met twice with Iran’s foreign minister to discuss the deal with Iran.

Kerry meeting with Iranian officials gives them stature and credibility. It shows that the United States is not united against Iran’s dangerous actions and nasty rhetoric.

Kerry also appears to be breaking the law. He may be violating the Logan Act which makes it criminal for private individuals to negotiate with foreign governments who have a dispute with the United States, which Iran sure does.

Keep in mind the original investigation into former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn reportedly began because of potential Logan Act violations. Those alleged violations stem from when Flynn, as incoming national security advisor, spoke with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. about issues such as the conflict in Syria and defeating ISIS during the transition from President Obama to President Trump.

Here is the bottom line: Kerry’s reported actions are idiotic, just like the deal with Iran that he negotiated. Kerry has to stop undercutting American foreign policy. In terms of criminality, common-thinking was that the Logan Act is no longer good law. However, if it was really used as the premise to investigate Flynn, Kerry's alleged violations of the Logan Act should also be fully investigated.